A Massachusetts State Police trooper was arrested Wednesday on charges stemming from a domestic violence investigation and has been suspended without pay, officials said.
Jordan Cavaco, 27, is accused of choking and punching a woman he was dating, then preventing her from getting out of the car their were in during an incident in Boston on May 28, police said.
The victim, who was not identified, reported the incident to local police last week, which is when state police learned of the allegations, officials said Wednesday.
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Cavaco was arrested at his home in Brockton about 7 a.m. and booked on charges of domestic assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping, police said. He was relieved of duty and and was set to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court Wednesday.
"The facts as alleged by the victim are unconscionable," Col. Christopher Mason, who leads the department, said in a statement. "Allegations of domestic violence committed by anyone, regardless of occupation or affiliation, will be thoroughly investigated and, if the evidence warrants, will be swiftly answered by criminal charges and prosecution."
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A judge on Wednesday ordered Cavaco held on $2,500 bail and told him to stay away from the victim and the city of Fall River, except to visit his attorney, once he's released, prosecutors said. He's due in court next on Feb. 3.
"Members of law enforcement have a vital, highly regarded role in society and overwhelmingly, these officers serve with distinction, courage and compassion for the communities they protect. Unfortunately, as with any profession, there are a small number whose actions are shocking, unacceptable and, as we allege here, criminal," District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement.
NBC10 Boston has reached out to the State Police Association of Massachusetts for comment.
Cavaco, who graduated from the state's police academy last year and was most recently working in Framingham, was allegedly driving with his girlfriend on Interstate 93 on May 28 when they got into an argument. When he exited the highway in Dorchester, he choked the woman and repeatedly punched her, then kept her in the vehicle and drover her back to his apartment in Brockton, police said.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that the incident took place on Galivan Boulevard after Cavaco had been drinking. He had allegedly been driving erratically while on his phone, and his girlfriend told him to pull over.
When he did, he attacked her, and the woman was unable to fight back or breathe, according to the documents. She was allegedly hit several time in the face and her shirt ripped when she tried to get out of the vehicle.
After the incident was reported, Massachusetts State Police relieved Cavaco of duty, began an internal affairs investigation and referred the allegation to Suffolk County prosecutors, officials said.
After a hearing on Monday, Cavaco was suspended without pay pending the results of the investigations and criminal prosecution proceedings, officials said.
